Buffs get boost from bench

BOULDER — A large smile spread across Spencer Dinwiddie’s face Sunday afternoon when the Colorado Buffaloes were announced as one of the 68 teams to reach the NCAA tournament.

Colorado's Askia Booker (0) is fouled as he shoots against California's Richard Solomon in the second half of an NCAA Pac-12 conference tournament quarterfinal college basketball game on Thursday, March 13, 2014, in Las Vegas. Colorado won 59-56. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

The junior point guard won’t be able to play in the tournament, but he was pleased to see his teammates earn the right to do so.

“Very excited,” Dinwiddie said. “If the team would have mailed it in and just not even tried anymore, that would have been disrespectful to me and (Tre’Shaun Fletcher).”

Dinwiddie, the Buffs’ best player, suffered a season-ending knee injury on Jan. 12 at Washington. Moments later, Fletcher, a freshman, injured his knee, too. Fletcher returned to action in a limited role last week, but Dinwiddie is done for the year.

Without the two of them, CU (23-11) finished the regular season and Pac-12 Tournament on a good note and will be the No. 8 seed in the South Regional when they face No. 9 Pittsburgh on Thursday (11:40 a.m. MDT, TBS) in Orlando, Fla.

“You have to put it in the past quickly, because the celebration is very short-lived,” head coach Tad Boyle said Monday of Sunday’s NCAA Selection Show. “It’s exciting, it’s a good day. But as soon as everybody cleared out, it’s time to go to work. You have to get better today and prepare for the task at hand, which is Pittsburgh.”

Although he can’t play this week, Dinwiddie also said there’s a sense of pride that his class, which also includes guard Askia Booker, is the first to lead the Buffs to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.

“It’s a great accomplishment,” Dinwiddie said. “First and foremost the credit goes to coach (Boyle); he started this. And, it’s a great compliment to my class.”

Many of the Buffs remember last year’s NCAA tournament, which ended quickly for CU. The Buffs fell behind by 16 at halftime and eventually lost to Illinois, 57-49, in their opening game.

“I think you learn how much it stinks to lose in the first round,” sophomore Josh Scott said. “You don’t want that feeling. The feeling, you carry that with you, and you don’t want to feel that for a whole summer.”

Dinwiddie said he feels like he let the team down this season, because “I still think we would have been like a No. 2 or No. 3 seed.” But he also knew that his teammates put in a lot of work without him to get that No. 8 seed.

“I’m happy with the way it happened — the way everybody regrouped and changed roles and did what was necessary to get wins,” Dinwiddie said.